This week I went to see the pop star Chappell Roan perform in New York. At one point, I looked around and we were all doing the Hot to Go dance. We were having a collective experience of joy. What a gift.

I asked a group this week to anonymously share: What hashtag would you use to describe inclusion at your company right now?

The news is exhausting. I don’t even watch it on TV or social media, and still it seeps in. Which tells me this is the perfect time to practice connection before content.

I’ve noticed from your survey responses that many of you work with people who say things like, “We get DEI already and it was overblown to begin with.”

August is always a quiet time for work, which means lots of time for pickleball. In fact, I’m competing in a local tournament today. At tournaments, there’s a lot of time for conversation and bonding while we wait and watch other matches. The feeling of belonging alone is worth the price of admission.